In a revealing new study conducted by the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America, a staggering one in three adults in the United States — over 82 million individuals — report making significant daily life compromises to manage healthcare expenses over the past year. This figure underscores a widening crisis in healthcare affordability, demonstrating how the burden stretches wide across all demographics and income groups. Notably, commonly reported coping mechanisms include rationing medications and skipping doses, as well as borrowing money to meet medical costs, each accounting for about 15% of respondents’ actions.
The financial strain of healthcare costs disproportionately impacts lower-income households, with 55% of those earning less than $24,000 annually forced to make trade-offs. Even for higher-income groups, the issue persists: 25% of households earning between $90,000 and $120,000, and 11% of those making more than $240,000 a year, acknowledge adjusting their lives to accommodate medical expenses. The broad socio-economic reach reveals systemic flaws within the healthcare financing system rather than isolated economic hardships.
This research stems from a comprehensive survey conducted between June and August 2025, collecting data from nearly 20,000 adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Prior data from the same initiative uncovered a growing anxiety among nearly half of U.S. adults, who expressed serious concerns about healthcare affordability in 2026 — a peak in worry never before recorded since tracking began in 2021. These findings emphasize a rising trend in healthcare-related financial insecurity and underlying apprehensions about future access to care.
Tim Lash, President of the West Health Policy Center, highlights the gravity of the issue by framing these trade-offs as a systemic failure rather than individual financial mismanagement. According to Lash, the widespread need for choosing between essential medical care and basic living costs like heating or electricity points to the pressing need for policy interventions. West Health’s mission to collaborate with policymakers and healthcare leaders aims to create scalable, systemic reforms targeting the root causes of healthcare unaffordability.
Beyond immediate financial compromises, the study explores the wider ramifications of healthcare expenses on Americans’ long-term life choices. Another related survey, carried out at the end of 2025 with over 5,600 adults, reveals that healthcare costs significantly delay major life events. Approximately 26% of participants reported postponing medical or surgical treatments, while 18% delayed changing jobs. Additionally, 14% deferred purchasing new homes, with retirement plans and family planning also put on hold by notable fractions of the population.
Joe Daly, Gallup’s Global Managing Partner, reflects on the interplay between healthcare affordability and broader financial decision-making. Daly points out that the data gives unprecedented insight into Americans’ lived experiences with healthcare costs and the resulting impact on their economic and personal life planning. The ubiquity of cost-induced delays in critical life milestones portrays healthcare affordability as a pivotal factor shaping American lives well beyond hospital bills.
Financial hardship due to medical costs is strikingly prevalent even in middle and upper-middle income households. Half of adults earning between $48,000 and $180,000 annually report postponing at least one major life decision over the past four years. Surprisingly, one-third of households earning between $180,000 and $240,000, and a quarter of those earning above $240,000, also acknowledge similar delays. These patterns confirm that high healthcare costs permeate all layers of society.
The survey further reveals how perceptions of healthcare expenses influence life outcomes. Among individuals identifying healthcare costs as a major financial burden, 78% have delayed significant life events. In contrast, this figure drops to 50% for those considering the costs a minor burden and falls further to 20% for those not experiencing a financial strain. Such disparities highlight the strong correlation between healthcare expense-related stress and sacrifices in long-term planning.
Methodologically, the June-August 2025 survey employed advanced probability-based address sampling and Gallup Panel methodologies, ensuring a nationally representative participant group. The use of web-based surveys presented some limitations, such as excluding respondents without internet access, but robust weighting strategies were applied to counterbalance demographic biases. The reported margin of error for the full sample hovers around ±1.3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, indicating high statistical reliability.
The second wave of data collected in late 2025 expanded the sample frame and introduced options for paper-based survey responses to individuals without consistent internet connectivity. These methodological adjustments further enhanced representativeness and reduced potential biases. Survey design considerations, random digit dialing, and demographic weighting underscored a commitment to rigorous data integrity, enhancing the trustworthiness of the reported findings.
The West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America, a collaboration between the philanthropy-driven West Health and Gallup, dedicates itself to illuminating the struggles that Americans experience within the healthcare system. By combining quantitative data with human-centric narratives, the Center seeks to catalyze impactful policy changes. Their work aims to foster an environment where healthcare is affordable, accessible, and does not force individuals to compromise on essential aspects of living.
At the core of West Health’s mission is a commitment to lowering healthcare costs to empower seniors to age successfully and with dignity in their homes. Guided by philanthropic funding from Gary and Mary West, the organization pursues research-driven, nonpartisan advocacy and solutions that prioritize sustainability and equity within the healthcare landscape. Their efforts focus on integrating innovative care models and systemic reforms that address underlying cost drivers.
Gallup adds to the collaboration its rich history of expertise in capturing public opinion and behavioral data, providing research capacity unmatched globally. With over 90 years in the analytics field, Gallup’s contribution ensures that findings reflect a nuanced understanding of social attitudes and economic behaviors. This partnership creates a robust platform for translating research insights into actionable policy recommendations that resonate across the healthcare ecosystem.
The breadth and depth of this research illustrate an undeniable fact: healthcare costs are no longer a burden carried by a vulnerable minority but a pervasive challenge influencing millions of Americans’ everyday choices and life trajectories. The systemic nature of this crisis necessitates urgent attention from policymakers, healthcare providers, and stakeholders committed to reshaping the economic foundations of American healthcare for the better.
Subject of Research: Healthcare affordability and its impact on Americans’ financial decisions and life planning.
Article Title: Over One in Three Americans Report Life-Altering Trade-Offs to Cover Healthcare Costs, Reveals New National Survey
News Publication Date: March 12, 2026
Web References:
West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America: https://westhealth.gallup.com
West Health: https://www.westhealth.org
Gallup: https://www.gallup.com
Image Credits: West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare
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